Porous body expansion joint



M 6= l945 A. c. FISCHER 2,370,647

Poxious mm misma: mlm l Filed April 20, 194m 2 sheets-slaat 2 fugas/ml -1 i @azar/1v anvar/w fla mama Mu. s, 194s l aai'oi'z Potions BODY EXPANSION JOINT Albert C. Fischer, Chicago, Ill. Application April 20,1940, seriali No. 330,770

1'v claim. (ci. :i4- isi t This invention constitutes a structural improvement upon the flat slab-like strips of material commonly lused for the purpose (among other purposes) of defining the lines of subdivision in the pouring of cement pavements, and

which, -being made of deformable material, remain permanently in position in the `finished pavement to serve as weather-proof fillers, conventionally called expansion joints in the spaces that must beV left between the sections of pavement to permit thermal expansion of the sections while in use.

There are a number of different types of expansion joints made to serve the vpurpose of yieldingly filling the spaces referred to and varying, structurally, from material formed in situ by pouring hot asphaltic or equivalent material into the spaces, to slab-like stripsextruded or otherwise preformed at the place of production. Most of these types, while readily yielding to the cement pavement sections in the direction of thermal expansion, will not react satisfactorily in the sense of keeping the spaces filled and-Y weather-proof as the spaces are enlarged by contraction of the pavement sections underfalling temperatures.

Attempts made to render expansion joints properly reactive to contraction of pavement sections and the resultant enlargement of the spaces between them, have been either along the line of complicating the joint structure in a manner to set up counterl'low of ductile asphalt during conpavement sections contract under lowering temperatures, these phenomena being achieved, according to the invention, by incorporating `in vthe expansion joint a slab or strip formed of material having a highly porous' or cellular structure and inherent body resiliency; for instance, the qualities possessed by a body of sponge rubber (preferably with its cells ruptured) or by an inherently resilient body of fibers, felted or otherwise fabricatedinto a, form withrrnass integrity and inherent body resiliency; or some material equivalent to thse; said bodies being rendered proof against seepage of water on any` or all of its faces that are liable to encounter moisture in service; their moisture proofing elements being applied as a shallow surface `infiltrate entering into land anchoring itself to and capable of sealing the outer pores of the body, but leaving unfilled and unobstructed the pores of the main mass of body material, of which the joint is made; and leaving the in- Vldividual elements that define the pores of the main portion of the body without inter-adhesion and free exercise of their individual resiliency; and the s aid moisture-proofing element having when set, an inherent elasticity that prevents its rupture or impairment of its pore-sealing and traction, from spaces into which the asphalt y escaped during expansion, or incorporating brous or other organic materials in the joint ystructure either as filler materials or as a fabricated body of fiber impregnated with asphalt; both of which are failures and do not render the joint body reactive because the fibrous matter was saturated beyond the possibility of resiliency.

The present invention solves the problem by moisture-prooiingcapacity when it partakes of the alternate compression and distention of tie porous body in service. v

In the accompanying drawings; r Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in vertical transverse section, of opposed ends of two pavement sections and the porous fiber-board body of -an interposed expansion joint; said fibewboard body being proofed against Water seepage at top and bottom and the tread surface filler used above the joint being omitted;

constructing the preformedl expansion joint slab or strip with not only sufficient mass integrity to permit it to be manipulated in a manner conventional in the art of pouring cement pavements,

but with the novel condition of having a degree of inherentmass resiliency that permits it to yield by compression as distinguished from flowing under the pressure of the thermally expanding pavement sections; and by such compression, storing in the resilient expansion joint body, energy that causes said body to return by expansion to approximately its original dimension. as distinguished from back flow, in order to fill the enlarging space between sections when the Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 in whichv the main body portion of the expansion joint is made of sponge rubber and the seepage proofing element is applied as an elastic surface filler completely around said body;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective,`

showing a body portion of an expansion joint similar to that of Figure 1, with seepage proofing elements of special materials at top and bottom, fashioned at the sides to cause them to be embedded in the paving sections; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figurer/l, on la somewhat smaller scale, showing the tread-sur. face ller element in position;

Figure 5 is a view partly in vertical transverse section and partly in i perspective showing' the expansion joint body with still another embodi;

ment of the seepage proofing element;

Figures 6 and 8 are vertical transverse sections of ber-board expansion joint bodies, rendered seepage-proof by shallow surface fillers of special materials at the ends thereof; l

Figures 7, 9 and 10, are vertical transverse sections of fiber board expansion joint bodies rendered seepage proof by shallow surface fillers of special materials on all four surfaces of the body; and

Figure 11 is a fragmentaryview in perspective of one paving section and the adjacent fiber board body of the expansion joint having a seepage proongcap similar to that of Figure 3, but located to also serve as the expansion joint tread surfacelush with the wheel surface of the pavement. Referring to the drawings, I represents highly Y cellular or porous and inherently resilient bodies of ber board or like material (of which there are several different makes upon the market) usually made for heat linsulating purposes but here used to constitute the principal body masses Y of expansion joints.

water-proofing member II, prepared so as to restore up sufficient energy in so doing, to cause the bodies to expand toward their original transverse dimensions and continue to fill the enlarge ing space between the sections when the sections contract under falling temperatures.

In Figure l, the top and bottom edges of body I have their adjacent cells filled with an .elastic compressible material 4, 5, water-proof at least to the extent that it will cause the porous body to resist seepage of water when its outer cells are filled with said material. By shallow impregnafaces, the waterproofing material is anchored to the cellular body; and when set vits elasticity enables it to partake of alternate compression and distension that occur in the resilient body -under expansion and contraction/of the paving sec-- tions, without impairment of its water-proofing relation to the body. 6 in Figure 1 indicates a moisture proong is an elastic filler 8 preferably applied to all four faces ofthe body in substantially the same relation as described in connection with the llers 4 and 5 of Figure 1.

In Figure 3 the porous or 'cellular body I of fabricated fiber has a crowning strip 9 of rubber, fashioned with longitudinal beads I0 at its sides, which become embedded in the pavement sections 2, 3 so that the rubber strip cannot be drawn away from its pla-ce by rdisturbances of traiic, whether exerted through the medium of the ller to be poured into space 6 (Figure 3) or exerted upon the crowning strip direct, when, as `shown in Figure ll, this rubber crowning strip is flush with the wheel surface of the pavement. Beneath the rubber crowning strip in both Figure 3 and Figure 11 there is a rubberized mastic 'tion of pores o-r cells of body I near its outer surtain its elasticity and expansibility and applied to the edge of the cellular body I by shallow impregnation, lling of outer cells and anchorage as described in connection with- Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, when the expansion joint is set upon damp subsoil, the rubberized mastic waterproofing element I6 and latterally beaded rubber apron I2, I3, substantial duplicates of elements 9, IB and II, are preferably used at the bottom -of the joint. Rubber apron I2, I3 may include a facing flange I5. y

In Figures 5 to 1Q, inclusive, the basic ideas of Figures 1 to 4 are substantially repeated though Vwith varied detail. lFigure 5 substitutes upper preformed flanged rubberized capping tapes I2, lI3 as the upper and lower water-proofing elements. When this material is used it should be prepared with a surplus of sluggishly fluent rubberized cement that will enable it to partake of ycom pression and distension of the expansion joint.'

Figure 6 substitutes for the elastic Water-proofing material 4 and 5 at top and bottom of Figure 1, top and bottom impregnations of latex emulsion. Figure 7 applies the same latex'emulsion as impregnations I6 on all four sides of the cellular body. Latex emulsion may, with advantage, be

lsubjected to vulcanization, especially when not protected by sealing compounds. It is preferably forced by pressure to flow into outer pores of or impregnate the desired distance into the porous or cellular body.

Figure 8, in a construction otherwise similarto Figure 1, uses flexible Bakelite varnish as the top and bottom water-proofing impregnation.

Figures 9 and 10 both show water-proong impregnation on all four faces of the p'orous or cellular body; Figure .9v-using a gelatin-bituminous glue combination I1; and Figure 10 an oily adhesve I8.

Generally from 11s to 1A; inch will be found a suiiicient depth of impregnation. Impregnation may be superinduced, in any instance, by either pressure over the fluid being applied, or by suction at the face of the porous body opposite that Vbeing impregnated.

Materials used herein, such as asphaltic material; rubberized tape, rubberized cement; latex emulsion, with or without heat treatment or vulcanization; asphaltic gelatinized mixture; as-

phaltic glue mixture; flexible Bakelite varnish;

purposes of illustration rather than limitation.

duced by the conventional method of pouring plastic against the body of fibers, and the said margins being;r formedwith enlargements that become embedded in said masonry sections when 5 so introduced into use.

ALERT c. FISCHER. 

